Whether you're celebrating Passover in the coming days or not, you need this vegan matzo ball soup in your life! No eggs, no animal products, just all the deliciousness made with cozy matzo balls and veggies in scrumptious savory broth.
Okay, before I start, confession: I've never had non-vegan matzo ball soup. So I'm far from being an expert on matzo ball soup. I always wanted to try it, but traditional versions are made with eggs and chicken fat, so that wasn't happening.
So I made my own version. With Passover starting tonight, today seemed like the perfect day to share my results.
While I can't say I'm sure what matzo ball soup with chicken fat and eggs is supposed to taste like, I can tell you that this version is freaking delicious.
In place of chicken fat, I used plain old canola oil in my matzo balls. And instead of egg, I used a mix of chickpea flour, tapioca starch, and non-dairy milk.
Chickpea flour + liquid is a great egg substitute in the right recipe, plus it adds a touch of savory flavor that might otherwise be missing in vegan matzo balls. Tapioca starch, as I learned from some experiments with vegan cheesemaking, is a great binder. The combination of all three worked great in this recipe.
Once mixed, the mixture needs to sit and chill for a while so the matzo meal and chickpea flour have a chance to suck up the liquid. Start the soup towards the end of the chill period, then shape your mix into balls.
I was really nervous that my matzo balls were going to fall apart while they cooked, but they didn't!
While I can't guarantee the soup turned out to be very authentic, it was most definitely delicious.
Tips for Making Delicious Vegan Matzo Ball Soup...
- Look for matzo meal in the international foods section of your supermarket.
- Make sure to press the mixture firmly when shaping your matzo balls, and whatever you do, don't stir the soup while they cook. This will help to ensure they don't fall apart. It also helps to keep the soup cooking at a low simmer rather than a rapid boil.
- Feel free to switch things up and use your favorite veggies in place of those in the recipe.
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Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
Whether you're celebrating Passover in the coming days or not, you need this vegan matzo ball soup in your life! No eggs, no animal products, just all the deliciousness made with cozy matzo balls and veggies in scrumptious savory broth.
Ingredients
For the Matzo Balls
- ¾ cup matzo meal
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- ¼ cup canola oil (or another neutral flavored cooking oil)
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- 1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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To make the matzo balls, stir the matzo meal, chickpea flour, tapioca starch, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk and oil until thoroughly mixed.
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Cover the bowl and chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes, while you begin the soup.
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To make the soup, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the leek and carrot, and sauté for 5 minutes, until the carrot just begins to soften.
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Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another minute, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the broth. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.
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Shape the matzo mix into 1-inch balls, pressing the mixture firmly together. Carefully drop each ball into the soup right after forming it.
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Allow the soup to cook, uncovered, at a low simmer, for 45 minutes. Do not stir.
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Carefully stir in the peas and cook for about 2 minutes more.
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When the soup is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully stir in the dill.
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Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
I updated this recipe in April of 2019 after hearing from a few readers that their matzo balls fell apart. If you were a fan of the original and want to stick with it, make your matzo balls using 1 cup matzo meal, ¼ cup chickpea flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup non-dairy milk, and ¼ cup canola oil.
Sometimes, I get SUCH cravings for matzo ball soup and wonder whyyyyy the local places don't make a vegetarian version. This post is like a public service to people like me that crave matzo ball soup; thank you!
When I was researching this one I kept reading how the chicken fat is a big deal, so maybe that's why! I've never had authentic matzo ball soup, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but I thought this was delicious. :) I hope you enjoy it!
i grew up in a Jewish household and the matzo ball soup was made with homemade chicken stock, and would get a very fatty later on top. I think a lot of it has to do with the taste of the broth, because it’s easy to make matzo balls without eggs. I’ve discovered the no-chicken veggie broth, and it’s makes a big difference. I’ll have to try this recipe out.
Agreed! A good veggie broth is so important! I like to make my own when I have the time, but the no-chicken broth is really good too. I also really like Better Than Bullion. :)
Chickpeass are “kitniyot”. Not kosher for Passover if you are Ashkenazi
Thank you for the tip!
Can you substitute something for chickpea flour so I can make good matzah balls for Pesach. Also, no peas for Pesach if you are Ashkenazi.
I'm afraid I'm not sure! I'd need to experiment a bit to see what would work.
Made this tonight and it was so delicious!! Never had it before but I’d always wanted to try. Will def make this again some time. Thanks for a very tasty first course to our Easter dinner! Delish.
This looks so yummy. I will keep my eye out for the mazo meal.
Thanks Dawn! We loved it - I hope you do too!
This looks delicious 😋! I have been searching for a good soup recipe like this! Definitely going to try😉.
Thanks Amy! I hope you enjoy it!
I made this tonight. It was easy and
very filling. It’s great having a vegan
version of the popular family recipe.
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Marilyn!
This soup had a really really good flavor but I made it in my instant pot on the matzoh balls completely disintegrated ! It's still was delicious and I devoured it but I think maybe the high-pressure dissolved the balls. Also, question on nutrition facts. Is that per serving or for the whole dish? Thanks!!
OMG this is so cool! I just came across this recipe on your blog and I can't wait to try it. My mom is Jewish so we had tons and tons of matzo ball soup as a kid and I loved it so much. Haven't had it since I stopped eating animal products though. This is a great find! :)
Oh wow! I hope you love this as much as the version you ate as a kid. Enjoy!!
This was really delicious, but my matzo balls broke apart. Maybe i didn't squueze them together hard enough when i was forming them? I also made them a little bigger than suggested. Still delicious matzo soup
I'm glad you enjoyed it even though the matzo balls broke up! They are more delicate than non-vegan ones, so make sure you handle them carefully.
My balls fell apart. :(
I tried to add a little seltzer water to the ball so maybe that was the fault but mine was a complete fail.
Mine fell apart as well. I had a few that survived, and they were tasty. However, the majority disintegrated or were half the size of when they started. I followed the recipe exactly, except my matzah meal was whole grain. Maybe it only works with white matzah meal.
Hi there. Is there a way to make the balls without oil? My husband is on a strict heart healthy diet and can't have oil or eggs or salt and only whole grains.
Thank you so much.
Hi Jan! You may be able to substitute additional non-dairy milk, but I'm not sure! I'm planning on making this again soon, so I'll experiment with an oil free version and share my results.
Ground flaxseed might work, but that would change the flavor.
This looks so beautiful and I love the flavors going on. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
How many matzo balls does this make??
About 16.
I’m cooking for 40 people, how much should I multiply the recipe by?
The recipe serves 4 very generously, so if you multiply it by 10 you should have more than enough. If you're making lots of food and don't expect everyone to eat a full 1 1/2 cup serving, maybe just multiply it by 6 to 8.
Just wanted to let folks know that many Ashkenazic Jews do not eat beans (or peas or lentils or rice) at Passover, so if you're bringing this to someone's seder, check with them about the ingredients first. :)
Thanks for the tip! I'll try experimenting to see if I can come up with a substitution for the chickpea flour. :)
Recipe is printed and ready for use to take to my first Seder as a vegan! My question is - I have several dishes to bring (and three young children), is it possible to make this the day before and re-heat?
Thanks!
My only concern would be that the matzo balls are a bit more delicate than non-vegan ones made with egg. I think at the very least they'd get very soft, or at worse you might have some fall apart. You could try doing all the prep work in advance - chopping the veggies, mixing everything up for the matzo balls, and then cooking it the day of serving. I hope that helps! And I hope you enjoy it!
Be careful when bringing this soup to a seder. Several previous commenters said that chickpeas are not kosher for Passover.
I just made this for the first time tonight and I didn’t want to risk my matzo balls falling apart, so I solely referenced the updated recipe from April 2019. Sadly, it doesn’t list tapioca starch, so I never added it. My matzo balls dissolved almost completely so we have a hearty matzo stew for dinner tonight. Kicking myself, I should have known. I am picking up another bag of frozen peas and will try the whole thing again tomorrow with the tapioca starch this time. Question—will 3 tablespoons suffice for the updated April 2019 recipe?
Oh no! The recipe lists the amount of tapioca starch as 3 tablespoons, and has since the April update. Is that not displaying on your screen? Maybe try clearing your browser cache to make sure you're looking at the latest version of the recipe.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did that and I still don’t see tapioca starch amount listed in the ‘Recipe Notes’ section of the recipe. Regardless, thank you for the info!
Please disregard my comments. I realize that I was making my matzo balls using the original recipe because that is the one located in the recipe notes!
Ah, that makes sense! Thanks for the update!
Can you substitute flax meal for the chickpea flour? I already bought flax meal haha.
My last matzo balls totally fell apart on me :P Definitely going to try the tapioca starch next time! Thanks :)
I'm afraid I'm not sure as I haven't tried the recipe with flax. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try!
I do not have access to tapioca starch right now :( is it possible to sub with egg replacer/corn starch/flour?
I'm afraid I'm not sure! My instinct tells me that egg replacer might work, but I haven't tried so I can't say for sure. I don't think cornstarch world work, as it's not great at binding.
I used rice flour in place of tapioca starch and matzoh balls were great!
I'm also interested in an oil-free version if you make one.
I switched up the soup part to be closer to my mom’s tradish, but the matzo balls are perrrrrfect ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I'm sorry, I literally choked when I saw Milk in the ingredients. That is so far beyond belief. I know it's a vegan sub, but there would never ever be milk in Matzoh ball soup and even a sub is just plain madness.
Nut milks are vegan, what's the problem?
I wonder if it would be possible to bake the matzoh balls first to skip the refrigeration time...I'm going to experiment because I procrastinated before our Seder.
I wouldn't recommend it - the refrigeration time gives the matzo a chance to absorb the liquid and soften up. Skipping it might result in crumbly matzo balls.
Delicious and held together beautifully! The matzoh balls turned out really dense in the middle. Should I add more liquid or some baking soda?
I think more baking soda would do the trick!
I made your recipe for Passover as my daughter is a vegan, and it was so good that I hoarded the leftovers for myself. It re-heated pretty well two additional times. Since the grocery stores have been a little light during the COVID-19 shelter at home order I had to make my own matzoh meal by running 3 sheets of plain matzoh through the food processor and using rice flour in place of tapioca flour. The end result was excellent and I have shared your recipe with my family. I will definitely make again!
The update still does not show the 3 tbsp. Tapioca Flour. So glad I caught this in the comments.
What can I sub for matzah mehl to make this gluten free?
I know there are some brands of gluten-free matzo meal out there. I'm not sure if they're vegan, but definitely worth checking out. Other than that I'm really not sure - I'd have to do some experimentation to see what might work.
I would like to make this ahead of time, refrigerate and then heat up for the seder. Does anyone know if this works well and if the matzo balls hold up when reheated? Thanks!
I really wanted this to work but my matzo balls completely dissolved while cooking. I followed the recipe exactly! Not sure what happened but I tried a different recipe using flax and chickpea flour and they stayed together.